One of my favourite Christmas presents this year was a box of miniature perfume that my lovely friend Rachael bought me from L’Occitane. Not only do I love the brand, but almost nobody ever buys me perfume. Maybe they labour under the misapprehension that I already have “enough”? You and I know there’s no such thing when it comes to perfume.

L’Occitane Roses et Reines is a radiant fruity floral. It just about zings off my skin like rosy sunbeams and wafts pleasantly about in my wake.

Now although I’ve called it a fruity floral, make no mistake. This is first and foremost a big, gorgeous, girly rose, but it is supported by a bijoux fruit bowl that brings out the different facets.

There’s raspberry: one of the more delicate of the red fruits. It’s not bold or overly sweet like strawberries or pink pepper. Out of all red fruits and berry notes, raspberry is just about the only one I really enjoy. It complements the rose particularly well.

Secondly, there’s a touch of apricot. Apricot has the fruity heart of peach without the overly sweet aspect, nor the frequent synthetic territory that peach often wanders into. There’s bergamot too, but I only noticed this when the perfume first bloomed on my skin. It’s a tart accompaniment that sets the tone. This rose may be as feminine as a ballerina, but it’s never sickly or cloying.

Roses et Reines has a wonderful vintage feel to it. The beautiful bottle itself runs with the heritage motif and would look at home on any dressing table, especially mine. This is a wonderful, classic rose. The fruit adds a playfulness, and the base gives me a whisper of good old fashioned powdery notes. There’s nothing about L’Occitane Roses et Reines that I don’t love.